Political Analysts React To Trump’s Long Handshake With Macron, Calling It A Symbolic Moment That Perfectly Captures Their Competitive Relationship

A peculiar handshake exchange between President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during a summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, is generating numerous theories about their conversation. Marking a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, their prolonged grip—lasting roughly 25 seconds—transformed, at one point, into what looked akin to an arm-wrestling contest. The rapport between Trump and Macron has been fraught, especially following Macron's endorsement of Palestinian statehood. Observers on Threads reacted humorously, with comments noting Trump’s firm grip and speculating on potential lip-read exchanges that hinted at threats and tense banter.Notably, this wasn’t their first notable handshake; a similar encounter occurred eight years ago when Trump visited France after Macron's electoral victory. At that time, Macron described their handshake as a "moment of truth," highlighting the underlying geopolitical dynamics.

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